Amber Liu is learning to appreciate the quieter things in her pop star life.
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Following her No More Sad Songs track released in March 2023, Amber Liu is back with a new song, ILY. It has a catchy and upbeat melody with a mix of electronic and acoustic instrumentation. But what’s special about the single is that different emotions that one could experience in love are seen in the lyricism. “The way that I see it is that you’re never ready for it. Someone just shows up in your life, and then they just become your whole world,” says Amber when discussing how someone is ready for love.
Being alone is a process she had to learn to be okay with. “I’m learning how to give myself some space too,” she admits, who has a habit of wanting to do everything. Doing everything all at once isn’t always the option as it can result in burnout. This new mindset and “saying no is part of being okay with the silence” when there’s chaos all around is keeping her mental health in check.
STAYING GROUNDED
The Los Angeles native was discovered at 15 years old at SM Entertainment’s global auditions. As part of the girl group f(x), they were one of the first K-Pop girl groups of the 2nd generation to make an impact not just in Korea, but overseas as well. Following her time with SM, she embarked on a solo music career and other artistic ventures. Outside of music, Amber has had a slew of international projects that keeps her busy. These projects include being a mentor on the Chinese TV survival series CHUANG 2021 for upcoming pop idols and hosting her show I’ll Ask The Stupid Questions.
In the entertainment industry, it’s common to cross paths with people who are good at what they do. Yet, you can sense if they’re being genuine or not. Chasing your dreams and pursuing this industry is the goal but you must face the realities of it, too. With nearly 15 years of experience in the industry, Amber has seen it all.
But it wasn’t without its pitfalls, as she confesses, “I wanted to be this big thing and prove myself, but I think that’s what made me disingenuous… As I started this new chapter of my life, I learned to not be a control freak and let things go.” No longer a K-Pop artist, she cemented herself as a global pop artist and, more importantly, gave herself the space to grow as a person.
THE CREATIVE PURSUIT
Any creative that can relate to Amber knows the urge to keep creating and creating. But doing so can overload your mind. Amber’s approach to assessing her creative direction is to slow down and think. Her metaphor is, “[I] let the whirlwind of leaves settle in my head for a bit before I want to blow in a certain direction.”
In Amber’s case, she’s been grateful to extend her creative pursuits, such as directing and editing most of all her music videos. As a result, she has a music video for every song from her X EP. “It helps me maneuver around things. Say like something fell down on-set and they can’t replace it [due to budget]… I can be like ‘We don’t have to spend money on it but let me think of something.’”
And when it comes to the body of musical work that she’s released, she never beats herself up to get a song complete. Rather, she puts a placeholder or what she feels right now and revisits it a few weeks later. “The songs that mean the most to me that actually take the most time are a collection of memories throughout a time”, Liu says.
NO REGRETS
Looking back on her experience in the entertainment industry, Amber asks herself the same questions she had when she first started. “I ask myself, ‘Is 10-year-old Amber happy with Amber now?’ or ‘Am I going to regret it?” Admittedly, it’s a question only she can answer, but she does ask the people around her to give different perspectives and a sense of clarity that she’s meant to do this.
Life is like writing our own stories. “Pages of paint splatter in different ways. Making an actual ‘picture’ is how I would write it”, Amber authentically says on how she were to write her own story. But aside from filling the pages of her journey in a career most dream of, she does appreciate the simple moments such as watching a tv show or playing rounds of games with friends when she has time.
“Learning to be at peace with it and taking time for yourself” is something she could never ask for anything more. While Amber Liu the multihyphenate pop star will always be there, she knows that at the end of the day, nothing will be the power of personal space and me-time.
Photos by Maxine Alo.
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